Climate change affects rural women's and men's ability to secure their livelihoods. At the same time, it poses new challenges for the agricultural sector in reducing poverty and food insecurity and in transforming itself into a strong engine for sustainable economic growth.
... See More + Climate change is likely to exacerbate inequalities between women and men if efforts to integrate gender concerns in climate change responses are neglected (Skinner 2011). Already, in view of the increased climate variability, there is a pressing need to adopt gender-sensitive approaches in order to achieve food security and poverty reduction (FAO 2011). This Agriculture and Environmental Services (AES) note examines the nexus between Gender, Agriculture, and Climate Change discusses how and why women and men are differently affected by climate change and why addressing gender inequality is crucial to addressing climate change impacts. It also offers recommendations for gender-sensitive responses to climate change.
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This study on Bangladesh was undertaken to analyze the gender dimensions of climate change and the role of institutions in reducing gender gaps.
... See More + The study was carried out in 20 sites covering 600 households, from March 2010 to May 2011, using both qualitative and quantitative instruments. This note is organized into five sections. The next section gives an overview of climate change and the gender and institutional context in Bangladesh. The third section presents the key study findings and is divided into three subsections: site- and household-specific vulnerabilities; analysis of gender dimensions of climate change using the household data and four propositions; and description of institutional challenges and gaps in supporting the resilience of women and men. Section four provides examples of adaptation programs in Bangladesh, and section five provides recommendations for enhancing gender-responsive adaptive capacity in Bangladesh.
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Understanding the links between gender inequality, poverty and environmental degradation, and taking responsive actions, can accelerate positive dynamics and promote sustainable development outcomes.
... See More + Acknowledging the ways in which nature-society relations are gendered opens space for new approaches to poverty reduction, environmental conservation, and gender-equitable participation and benefits in sustainable development programs. The analytical framework for this study draws on the World Bank's three pillars of sustainable development: social inclusion, economic growth and environmental sustainability; and from political ecology literature, which highlights how decision-making processes, power relationships, and social conditions influence environmental policies and development outcomes. The following four propositions derived from political ecology literature guide the analysis: i) socioeconomic marginalization and natural resource degradation are mutually reinforcing processes; ii) protected area conservation and external control of natural resources can disrupt household and community production and social organization; iii) competing environmental interests shape environmental change; and iv) collective action and resilience can help mitigate negative impacts.
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This report provides a gender review of a decade and a half of World Bank infrastructure lending for 1,246 projects. The objective of this review is to assess the status of and trends in gender integration in the World Bank infrastructure portfolio, and to establish a baseline for monitoring and enhancing gender integration in line with commitments made for the 2006 gender action plan.
... See More + The portfolio review reveals important progress on gender integration in infrastructure operations. While an average of 14 percent of infrastructure projects in 1995 applied some attention to gender concerns in 1995, this climbed to 36 percent by 2009. The global average, moreover, hides large strides made over time in four regions. In 2009, East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Africa all included gender concerns in the design of at least 50 percent of their infrastructure projects. Hard work remains in consolidating and extending the gains in gender coverage across the infrastructure portfolio. This will require stronger management commitment, concerted efforts, a plan with targets to achieve sustainable results, resources, specialist staffing, and capacity enhancement of staff. The portfolio review repeatedly found that supporting gender equality and women's empowerment in infrastructure operations have large benefits for the communities; the actions not only increased women's opportunities but also enhanced project effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
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It was the Multi Fiber Arrangement (MFA) in global textile and clothing trade that opened the doors for Bangladesh creating a golden opportunity for exploiting its comparative advantage in the labor-intensive garment industry.
... See More + Bangladesh is now a recognized name on the globe as a major exporter of garments. The readymade garment industry has become the lifeline of the Bangladesh economy. It is the source of its strength and - in a way - could be the cause of its vulnerability. Too much of the nation's fortune is riding on this one sector. With the two million workforce it employs directly, and another one million in linkage industries, it supports the livelihood of some 10 million Bangladeshis who have been lifted out of poverty. The fact that most garment workers are females has itself brought on a revolution of sorts - in acceptability of women in the work place; in bringing respectability to these women in their homes and in the rural settings they come from. And yet the revolution is not over. This report is about ensuring the competitiveness of this premier industry in the post-MFA environment. It provides an analytical perspective for a better understanding of the key issues facing the sector, identifies certain man-made constraints that undermine competitiveness, and offers a set of strategic options for the industry in order to meet the challenge of global competition while seizing opportunities in global markets.
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Poverty-related infectious diseases constitute the main causes of death. Gender differentials in health persist, as indicated by high maternal mortality.
... See More + About 70 percent of mothers suffer from iron deficiency anemia, and 75 percent of pregnant women do not have access to a trained attendant at the time of delivery. Over 90 percent of children suffer from malnutrition. Several factors have triggered demands for increased services and expanded scope: population growth, poor maternal and child health, and emerging diseases such as HIV/AIDS and arsenicosis. Efforts at addressing these health problems have been hindered by inefficiency and lack of client-orientation in service delivery, absence of a referral system, and poor quality of care.
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ESSD: Community driven development anchor now firmly established. Environment: latest public opinion on the environment now available. The environment strategy consultations in San Francisco.
... See More + Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund in full swing. Work on Persistent Organic Pollutants Convention progresses. The Prototype Carbon Fund to receive first trainees. Bridging troubled waters: assessing the water resources strategy since 1993. Training workshop on making biodiversity pay in Amazon Basin countries. Rural development: The World Bank at COP4 (Convention to Combat Desertification) - desertification. Agricultural science & technology roundtable with the private sector. Commodity price risk management team - a new addition to the Rural family. Rural Week 2001. CGIAR/Future harvest: This year's International Centers Week a success. Get together to find badly needed cures. CGIAR - a good example of what works. Scientists set to defeat millennia-long problem of locust and grasshopper plagues. Pearl-farming technology could help save coral reefs and generate new wealth. Future Harvest centers find that new crops and better management. Social: updated participation website. The Bank as a post-conflict player. Women and women's organizations in post-conflict societies. A restructuring of dialogue with civil society. Safeguard news. Regional news. People in the news. Publications. Training. Upcoming seminars and workshops. Calendar.
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